Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan
Encyclopedia
Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan ' onMouseout='HidePop("11109")' href="/topics/English_language">English
: Soldiers of Muhammad
) is a Shi'a militant group formed in the early 1990s (the exact date of formation is unclear) as a response to sectarian violence against Pakistani Shia' orchestrated by militant Sunni movements such as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
(SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
(LeJ). On August 14, 2001, it was banned by President Pervez Musharraf as a "terrorist" organisation.
. They were also involved in the killing of Iranian Air Force cadets visiting Pakistan in the early 1990s, when sectarian attacks on Shias in Pakistan were at their peak. Both acts occurred in the northern city of Rawalpindi
and greatly disturbed contemporary Pakistan-Iran relations.
In response to this, Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani is believed to have formed Sipah-e-Muhammad as a splinter of the larger and more mainstream, Shia political organization, Tehreek-e-Jaferia Pakistan ('Movement of Jaferi (Shia), Pakistan'), since that organization was not encouraging a violent response to the Sipah-e-Sahaba's attacks.
The movement was strong in various Shi'a communities in Pakistan, and in the majority Shi'a town of Thokar Niaz Beg
ran a "virtual state within a state" in the 1990s.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Soldiers of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
) is a Shi'a militant group formed in the early 1990s (the exact date of formation is unclear) as a response to sectarian violence against Pakistani Shia' orchestrated by militant Sunni movements such as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan is a militant Sunni Deobandi organization, and a formerly registered Pakistani political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi its stated goal is to primarily to deter major Shia influence in Pakistan in the wake of the Iranian...
(SSP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is a militant organization. Formed in 1996, it has operated in Pakistan since Sipah-e-Sahaba activist Riaz Basra broke away from the SSP over differences with his seniors...
(LeJ). On August 14, 2001, it was banned by President Pervez Musharraf as a "terrorist" organisation.
Formation
During the 1980s, Zia-ul-Haq allowed and encouraged the militant Islamization of Pakistan. One of the organizations that arose in this period was the Sipah-e-Sahaba, a Sunni-supremacist militant group that considered the Shia minority to be non-Muslim. The Sipah-e-Sahaba targeted Shia mosques community leaders, as well as Iranian visitors and diplomats. They orchestrated the assassination of Iranian diplomat Sadiq Ganji in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. They were also involved in the killing of Iranian Air Force cadets visiting Pakistan in the early 1990s, when sectarian attacks on Shias in Pakistan were at their peak. Both acts occurred in the northern city of Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
and greatly disturbed contemporary Pakistan-Iran relations.
In response to this, Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani is believed to have formed Sipah-e-Muhammad as a splinter of the larger and more mainstream, Shia political organization, Tehreek-e-Jaferia Pakistan ('Movement of Jaferi (Shia), Pakistan'), since that organization was not encouraging a violent response to the Sipah-e-Sahaba's attacks.
Activities
Sipah-e-Muhammad directed most of its attacks against militant Sunnis, but also resorted to tactics such as reprisal bombings. After sectarian violence slowed down in the Musharraf era, the Sipah-e-Muhammad also lost support and was weakened by a major crackdown by the Punjab Police. However, with the subsequent rise in violence against Shias, it was thought to be reforming.The movement was strong in various Shi'a communities in Pakistan, and in the majority Shi'a town of Thokar Niaz Beg
Thokar Niaz Beg
Thokar Niaz Beg is a community in Punjab Province, Pakistan.At one point in the 1990s, the Shi'a militant group Sipah-e Muhammad Pakistan "ran a virtual state within a state" in the community....
ran a "virtual state within a state" in the 1990s.